THE QUESTION: How can

you say that unless you

know about Jesus and

believe in Him, you won’t

go to Heaven? What

about all those who have

never heard about Jesus … do they just go to Hell?

Other similar questions that accompany the

core question…

• What happens to babies/infants who die before

knowing Jesus?

• What happens to mentally handicapped people who

will never understand the gospel?

• What happened to all the Old Testament people who

lived before Christ came?

• Refutation of two key misconceptions

• Review of key Bible doctrines

• The three core positions on the subject

• Overview and drill down of each position

• Conclusions

Key Misconceptions to Overcome…

Christianity is often singled out as being an ―exclusivistic‖

faith. The fact is that all major religions are exclusivistic,

in that they teach you must adhere to their doctrine or

you will not achieve spiritual ―success‖. Islam, Hinduism,

Buddhism, etc., are all exclusivistic in this regard.

Christianity is not a faith system that imprisons itself

behind locked doors, fences, walls, etc., to keep people

out. ―And whosoever will, let him take of the water of life

freely.‖ (Revelation 22:17). ―I most certainly understand

not that God is not one show partiality, but in every nation

the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome

to Him.‖ (Acts 10:34-35)

Christianity is exclusivistic in this manner: When you say “Yes” to Jesus,

you say “No” to everything and everyone else. Just as someone does on

their wedding day…you say ―Yes‖ to your spouse which implies ―No‖ to

everyone else.

First Steps – Review of Key Biblical Doctrines

1. What we know about the nature of God

2. What we know about the knowledge of God mankind has

3. What we know about the state of mankind

4. What we know about what the Bible teaches on salvation

5. What we know about how ‗many‘ will be saved

What we know about the nature of God

• Omnibenevolent – All-good and righteous Judge

• ―Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?‖ (Gen. 18:25)

• ―And He will judge the world in righteousness; He will execute

judgment for the peoples with equity.‖ (Ps. 9:8)

• "Before the LORD; for He is coming to judge the earth; He will judge

the world with righteousness, And the peoples with equity." (Ps. 98:9)

• The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in

love. The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has

made. (Ps. 145.8f)

• ‖This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who

desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the

truth.‖ (1 Tim. 2:4)

• Omnipotent – All-powerful

• ―Our God is in heaven; He does whatever pleases Him‖ (Ps.115:3)

• Omniscient – All-knowing

• ―You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from

afar.‖ (Ps. 139:2).

• ―I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what

is still to come‖ (Isaiah 46:10)

The Bible declares that God is all good, powerful, and knowing.

What we know about the knowledge of God mankind has

• All without excuse concerning God – All know God exists

• ―For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all

ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the

truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about

God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His

eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen,

being understood through what has been made, so that they

are without excuse (apologia).‖ (Rom. 1:18-20)

• All have a moral compass – All intuitively know right and wrong

• ―For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively

the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to

themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in

their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their

thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them‖ (Rom.

2:14-15)

What we know about the knowledge of God mankind has

“The heavens are telling of the glory of God;

And their expanse is declaring the work of

His hands. Day to day pours forth speech,

And night to night reveals knowledge. There

is no speech, nor are there words; their

voice is not heard. Their line has gone out

through all the earth, and their utterances to

the end of the world.”

(Psalm 19:1–4)

The “Sensus Divinitatis”

The sense of divinity. The immediate knowledge of God innate

in the human soul. In other words, because humanity is

created in the image of God, knowledge about Him is basic to

each person. This knowledge has been compromised by sin,

but is still responsive to God’s general revelation and the

conscience. This ensures that no person, no matter where they

are, knows that God exists.

What we know about the state of mankind

• Fallen and sinful – born sinners and separated from God

• ―The Lord God commanded the man, saying, ―From any tree of

the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the

knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that

you eat from it you will surely die.‖ (Gen. 2:16-17)

• ―Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother

conceived me.‖ (Ps 51:5)

• ―Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world,

and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because

all sinned (Rom. 5:12).

• All lost – No one salvageable in and of himself

• ―There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who

understands, there is none who seeks for God; ― (Rom. 3:10-11).

• Dead/separated from God– All separated from God

• ―And you were dead in your trespasses and sins‖ (Eph 2:1).

• Under God’s wrath – All condemned by God

• ―Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh,

indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by

nature children of wrath, even as the rest.‖ (Eph. 2:3)

What we know about the state of mankind

Fallen mankind – on their own – CANNOT receive God’s Gospel. They

are naturally hostile and resistant to God:

―For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but

to us who are being saved it is the power of God. ‖ (1 Corinthians 1:18)

―But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for

they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because

they are spiritually appraised. ‖ (1 Corinthians 2:14)

―For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is

life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God;

for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to

do so, ‖ (Romans 8:6–7)

What we know about the state of mankind

What is the difference between a blind, deaf and hostile person in a

remote jungle and a blind, deaf, hostile man in one of the most Christian

cities and nations in the world who is given the Bible to read or has the

Bible read to him?

N – O – T – H – I – N – G

Simply because a lost person has access to the truth does not mean

they spiritually receive the truth. They still require the Holy Spirit to

illuminate them before they can receive God‘s Gospel.

Key Point: It does not matter WHERE a person was born or WHEN a

person was born – these truths remain the same.

What we know about what the Bible teaches on salvation

• No other way to God than through Jesus – one and only way

• ―He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has

been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the

only begotten Son of God.‖ (John 3:18).

• ―I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father

but through Me.‖ (John 14:6).

• ―Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ

Jesus.‖ (Rom. 8:1).

• ―And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name

under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be

saved.‖ (Acts 4:12).

• ―He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of

God does not have the life.‖ (1 John 5:12).

• Faith and not works – Believe and trust in the finished work of Christ

• ―For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of

yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no

one may boast.‖ (Eph. 2:8-9)

• ―Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God

through our Lord Jesus Christ‖ (Rom 5:11)

What we know about what the Bible teaches on salvation

• ―No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws

him; and I will raise him up on the last day.‖ (John 6:44).

• ―For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me

unless it has been granted him from the Father‖ (John 6:65).

• ―A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from

heaven.‖ (John 3:27)

• ―There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who

understands, there is none who seeks for God; ― (Rom. 3:10-11)

• ―All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who

comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.‖ (John 6:37)

• ―What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost

one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture

and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?‖ (Luke 15:4)

• ―I was found by those who did not seek Me, I became manifest

to those who did not ask for Me.‖ (Rom. 10:20/Isaiah 65:1).

Efficacious Call: before a person seeks God, God as first sought the person

What we know about how many will be saved

• “Few”, not “many” saved – many will reject God

• ―Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the

way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many

who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is

narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.‖ (Mt.

7:13-14).

• ―And someone said to Him, ―Lord, are there just a few who

are being saved?‖ And He said to them, ―Strive to enter

through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter

and will not be able. ― (Lk. 13:23-24).

• ―Though the number of the sons of Israel be like the sand of

the sea, it is the remnant that will be saved;‖ (Rom. 9:27).

• All nations represented in Heaven – no nationality excluded

• ―After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude

which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and

peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before

the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in

their hands;‖ (Rev. 7:9)

Now, let’s review and agree on these facts…

Review of Biblical Teachings

• God is all good, powerful, and knowing

• Humankind knows that God exists because of general revelation

and the moral law within; they are without excuse

• The only salvation path to God exists in the finished work of Jesus

Christ; no one will spend eternity with God another way

• Humankind is fallen and incapable of receiving God‘s gift of

salvation on its own. They do not seek God and are enemies of

God. It does not matter where or when a person is born, they

exist(ed) in this state

• The efficacious call of God is the only way a person comes to

seek God – they are first sought by Him

• God‘s plan of salvation includes a design where not all will be

saved; in fact, few will be saved, and many will be lost, but all

nations will be represented in God‘s eternity

Now the question becomes: what does a

person have to know and understand in

order to be saved…?

positions to consider for salvation today…3• Restrictivism – people must know and put their faith in

Christ to be saved

• Inclusivism – people can be saved via general revelation

• Post-Mortem Evangelism – a person gets a second

chance after death

Restrictivism Inclusivism Post-Mortem

Evangelism

• Augustine

• Calvin

• Edwards

• Sproul

• Geisler

• Piper

• Justin Martyr

• John Wesley

• C. S. Lewis

• Clark Pinnock

• Clement (Alexandria)

Not considered: Universalism (everyone saved; already refuted).

Restrictivism To be saved today, a person must directly know and accept the

facts about Jesus.

Support

• ―How then will they call on Him in whom they have not

believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not

heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?‖ (Rom.

10:14)

• ―But what does it say? ―The word is near you, in your mouth

and in your heart‖—that is, the word of faith which we are

preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord,

and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead,

you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes,

resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses,

resulting in salvation.‖ (Rom. 10:8-10).

• ―And He said to them, ―Go into all the world and preach the

gospel to all creation. ―He who has believed and has been

baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be

condemned. ‖ (Mark 16:15–16)

InclusivismA person can be saved via general revelation and need not directly

know about Jesus.

Support

• Inclusivists do not deny that the death of Christ is the basis for

salvation; they very much hold to that. They do deny, however, that

each person saved needs to be directly aware of that fact.

• Inclusivists reject that God works in differently in different ages; that

both God and the way He deals with mankind does not change.

• Inclusivists argue that God would not allow general revelation to

condemn people but then not allow it to save people.

• ―Opening his mouth, Peter said: ‗I most certainly understand now that

God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who

fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him.‘‖ (Acts 10:34-35)

• ―And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to

God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who

seek Him.‖ (Heb. 11:6)

• ―There are people in other religions who are being led by God‘s

secret influence to concentrate on those parts of their religions which

are in agreement with Christianity, and who thus belong to Christ

without knowing it.‖ – C. S. Lewis.

Post-Mortem EvangelismThe unevangelized receive an opportunity to believe in Jesus after

death.

Support

• ―For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust,

so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the

flesh, but made alive in the spirit; in which also He went and

made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, who once were

disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of

Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is,

eight persons, were brought safely through the water.” (1 Peter

3:18-20)

• ―For the gospel has for this purpose been preached even to those

who are dead, that though they are judged in the flesh as men,

they may live in the spirit according to the will of God.‖ (1 Peter

4:6).

• ―Very truly, I tell you, the hour is coming, and is now there, when

the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who

hear will live.‖ (John 5:25)

So which position (if any) is correct…?

Refutation

• 1 Peter 3:18-20 very difficult passage to properly

interpret. Many commentators believe it refers to Christ

proclaiming victory over either the fallen angels that

God imprisoned or the evil race of Noah‘s day (or both)

• 1 Peter 4:6 refers to spiritually dead people who are

alive and not those who have physically died.

• John 5:25 refers to spiritually dead people who are

alive and hear the gospel preached to them.

• Hebrews 9:27 says, ―And inasmuch as it is appointed

for men to die once and after this comes judgment‖.

No second chance at salvation after death.

Post-Mortem EvangelismThe unevangelized receive an opportunity to believe in Jesus after

death.

Refutation• ―He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son

of God does not have the life‖ (1 John 5:12).

• ―He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe

has been judged already, because he has not believed in the

name of the only begotten Son of God.‖ (John 3:18).

• ―Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now

declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent,‖ (Acts

17:30)

• How was the rich man told in Luke 16 that his brothers could

avoid his fate? General revelation? No. ―But Abraham said,

‗They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.‘‖

(applicable to the Jews, not Gentiles though… (Rom. 2:12-13)

• Why have missions and missionaries if people can be saved

apart from hearing the preaching of the gospel and about Christ?

Why the Great Commission?

InclusivismA person can be saved via general revelation and need not directly

know about Jesus.

―What do I mean then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is

anything, or that an idol is anything? No, but I say that

the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to

demons and not to God; and I do not want you to

become sharers in demons. You cannot drink the cup of

the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of

the table of the Lord and the table of demons. Or do we

provoke the Lord to jealousy? We are not stronger than

He, are we? ‖

(1 Corinthians 10:19–22)

InclusivismWorshipping false gods or idols is not viewed by God as OK

Refutation

• General revelation is enough to condemn a person (Rom. 1),

but not to save a person?

• What about Old Testament believers? Scripture is pretty plain

that the first coming and death of the Messiah was not

expected by anyone

• Cornelius may have been saved before Peter arrived (Acts

10:34-35.

• Non-Jews in the Old Testament did not have to become part of

Israel to be saved (Job, etc.)

Restrictivism To be saved today, a person must directly know and accept the

facts about Jesus.

So … what’s the answer then…?

―The basis of salvation in every age is the

death of Christ; the requirement for

salvation in every age is faith; the object

of faith in every age is God; the content of

faith changes in the various dispensations

[ages or times].‖

– Charles Ryrie

God’s Progressive Revelation / Salvation Plan

Death of Christ

Faith looked forward Faith looks backward

Direct knowledge of

Christ not required

Direct knowledge of

Christ required

Before the Death of Christ

• ―Then he [Abraham] believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as

righteousness. (Gen 15:6)

• ―And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the Lord Will be

delivered; ― (Joel 2:32)

• ―For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.‖

(Heb 10:4).

• ―whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through

faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the

forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed;‖

(Rom. 3:25). Greek: ―passed over‖ = ―letting go unpunished‖

• ―Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now

declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent,‖ (Acts 17:30)

• ―In the generations gone by He permitted all the nations to go their own

ways; and yet He did not leave Himself without witness‖ (Acts 14:16)

• Only Jews? No, Jonah sent to the Gentile city of Nineveh

―Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of

things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval.‖

(Heb 11:1-2).

―Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a

Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ―The Pharisee

stood and was praying this to himself: ‗God, I thank

You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust,

adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ‗I fast twice a

week; I pay tithes of all that I get.‘ ―But the tax

collector, standing some distance away, was even

unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating

his breast, saying, ‗God, be merciful to me, the

sinner!‘ ―I tell you, this man went to his house

justified rather than the other; for everyone who

exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles

himself will be exalted.‖ (Luke 18:10-14)

1. Acknowledgement of God

2. Acknowledgement of sin

3. Acknowledgement of faith

δικαιόω;dikaioo: same

word used in Romans 3:28

Before the Death of Christ

―Now there was a man at Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of

what was called the Italian cohort, a devout man and one who feared

God with all his household, and gave many alms to the Jewish

people and prayed to God continually. About the ninth hour of the

day he clearly saw in a vision an angel of God who had just come in

and said to him, ―Cornelius!‖ And fixing his gaze on him and being

much alarmed, he said, ―What is it, Lord?‖ And he said to him, ―Your

prayers and alms have ascended as a memorial before God. ―Now

dispatch some men to Joppa and send for a man named Simon, who

is also called Peter; ‖ (Acts 10:1–5)

―There was an Ethiopian eunuch . . . and he had come to Jerusalem

to worship, and he was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was

reading the prophet Isaiah. Then the Spirit said to Philip, ―Go up and

join this chariot.‖ Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the

prophet, and said, ―Do you understand what you are reading?‖ And

he said, ―Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?‖ And he

invited Philip to come up and sit with him. ‖ (Acts 8:27–31)

After the Death of Christ

―But what does it say? ―The word is near you, in your mouth and in your

heart‖—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess

with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised

Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes,

resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in

salvation. For the Scripture says, ―Whoever believes in Him will not be

disappointed.‖ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the

same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for

―Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.‖ How then will they

call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him

whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?

How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, ―How

beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!‖

However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, ―Lord, who

has believed our report?‖ So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the

word of Christ. But I say, surely they have never heard, have they? Indeed

they have; ―Their voice has gone out into all the earth, And their words to the

ends of the world.‖ But I say, surely Israel did not know, did they? First

Moses says, ―I will make you jealous by that which is not a nation, By a

nation without understanding will I anger you.‖ And Isaiah is very bold and

says, ―I was found by those who did not seek Me, I became manifest to

those who did not ask for Me.‖ ‖ (Romans 10:8–20)

After the Death of Christ

A few other Scriptures to consider…

• ―The pattern of divine direction and intervention

beyond Cornelius and the Ethiopian eunuch: Paul‘s

Macedonian vision (Acts 16): ―A vision appeared to

Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing

and appealing to him, and saying, ―Come over to

Macedonia and help us.‖ ‖ (Acts 16:9)

• Sovereignty of God: ―From one man he made every

nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole

earth; and he determined the times set for them and

the exact places where they should live. ― (Acts

17:26, NIV)

After the Death of Christ

So … where does all this leave us?

• God is all good, powerful, and knowing. We should not believe He

is limited by geography or historical times with respect to Him

calling Christ‘s Bride to Himself

• Humankind knows that God exists and are without excuse

• The only salvation path to God exists in the finished work of Jesus

Christ

• Humankind is fallen and incapable of receiving God‘s gift of

salvation on its own. Prevenient grace is the only way a person

comes to seek God – they are first sought by Him

• God‘s plan of salvation includes a design where not all will be

saved; in fact, few will be saved, and many will be lost, but all

nations will be represented in God‘s eternity

• Post-mortem evangelism is an untenable position to hold

• In prior eras, God called to Himself those who put their trust in

Him with no direct knowledge of Jesus. They were saved by a

recognition of sin and a trust/belief in God

• After the cross, the pattern in Scripture appears to be a sending of

the Gospel message to those who respond to the light they have

A question for another time: do all

receive God‘s efficacious call or only

some…?

So … what happens to babies/small children when they die?

• ―Moreover, your little ones who you said would become a prey, and your sons,

who this day have no knowledge of good or evil, shall enter there, and I will give

it to them and they shall possess it.‖ (Deut. 1:39)

• ―And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and

books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life;

and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books,

according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and

death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged,

every one of them according to their deeds. ― (Rev. 20:12-13)

• ―But now he has died; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to

him, but he will not return to me.‖ (2 Sam. 12:23). David went to Heaven: ―For

You will not abandon my soul to Sheol;‖ (Psalm 16:11)

• ―For before the boy will know enough to refuse evil and choose good…‖ (Isaiah

7:16)

• ―Jesus said to them, ‗If you were blind, you would have no sin; but since you

say, ‗We see,‘ your sin remains‘‖. (John 9:41)

The most accepted view is that all babies/small children

who prematurely die enter Heaven. The key teaching

appears to be that punishment in the next life is predicated

on the evils committed in this life and not for the inherited

sin nature, and that infants/small children cannot believe

with faith.

So … what happens to the mentally challenged when they die?

• ―Jesus said to them, ‗If you were blind, you would

have no sin; but since you say, ‗We see,‘ your sin

remains‘‖. (John 9:41)

There is no clear directive from Scripture on this note,

however some of the concepts that apply to infants /

children apply here as some of those operate on the same

level with respect to having a knowledge of true good/evil.

One Last Assertion…

If you had been born in Saudi Arabia, you‘d be a

Muslim just like you‘re a Christian since you‘ve been

born in America…

Answer: No, how many people have been born in

America who reject Christianity? There are many

different political systems in the world, yet being born

in a Communist country doesn‘t negate a person‘s

ability to perceive the superiority of a better political

system like democracy. If anything, what is true is the

judgment America and other ―Christian‖ nations will

get for their rejection of God (Matt. 11:21-24)

Final Conclusions

• Good people on both sides of the fence; no need to break

fellowship over the matter

• All reasonable answers to this issue agree that the sacrificial

death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is absolutely necessary

for a person to enter the kingdom of God. The core

disagreement is how much of the Savior‘s work does a person

have to know and acknowledge

• Recognize skeptic‘s smokescreen vs. true seeker on this

issue. Can always ask, ―If I answer this question to your

satisfaction right now, would you become a Christian?‖

• ―If you are worried about the people outside [of faith in Christ],

the most unreasonable thing you can do is to remain outside

yourself.‖, C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity